The event was hosted by the School Board and the Henderson County Retired School Personnel at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville.

Many of the retirees had more than 20 years of service in the county school system. Taken together, the group had a total of 1,242 years of service.

When Melissa Roberts told her fourth-grade students at Clear Creek Elementary that she was retiring at the end of the school year, "they sobbed," she recalled. She's taught at the school since 2002.

The most gratifying part of her 39-year teaching career has been watching her students "grow and become a strong people. You can see them learn about the consequences of their behavior — both negative and positive. You can see the magic in their eyes as they learn and master something."

Roberts is still developing her retirement plans with her husband, Eddie.

Life Skills teacher David Mackey is retiring after 29 years of teaching, the last 13 at Hendersonville Middle. He teaches culinary skills to sixth- and seventh- graders and teaches manners and etiquette to eighth-graders.

He said the best part of his job is that he's teaching students "skills they are going to use later in life. And they take those skills home and share them with their family, so we're teaching more than just the kids in our school."

Mackey also enjoys the fact that "I teach every kid in our school, so I know all of these kids on a personal level."

When he told his students he was retiring, "They begged me to stay. They'd say, ‘Just stay to teach my little sister, or my little brother.' They're my kids if you know what I mean. I love each and every one and I'm blessed to be a teacher."

In retirement, he plans to work his farm, tending to beef cattle and growing corn.

"And I look forward to spending more time with my wife," he said with a smile. Mackey is married to Debbie and has a son, Clark.

Mary West of North Henderson High is retiring after 30 years. She teaches English to sophomores and Advanced Placement literature to seniors. The best parts of her job are helping seniors find the right college and sophomores with their writing.

"When they pass their writing test, they're so proud of themselves," she said with a smile.

When she announced her retirement, "the seniors were glad I was graduating with them. They thought it was great that we went out together."

West plans to "travel and read books of my choice," she said with a laugh. She is married to husband Alden and has three children, Greg, Suzanne and Lesley.

"My successes in education are because of the opportunity I've had to work with so many wonderful educators," said Sallie Carr, who is retiring in her fourth year as principal of Sugarloaf Elementary. She has a total of 30 years in education, 26 in Henderson County. The best part of her job is "working with teachers to make children lifelong learners. You hope you're making a difference."

Carr hasn't yet made her formal retirement announcement at the school "because I don't want to cry." She also hasn't made solid plans for what to do with her time after retirement, noting that she has "closets to clean out and lots of yard work to do. And my husband is looking forward to some home-cooked meals." She is married to husband Gene and has three children, Addie, Sarah and Jack.

Also at the banquet, former student Leslie Runyan spoke about the importance of teachers in her life. She attended Henderson County schools from elementary through high school before going on to Blue Ridge Community College.

Earlier this year, she was the recipient of a scholarship from Henderson County Retired School Personnel, a gift she said allowed her to graduate from BRCC this May. She currently works as a teacher assistant at Bell School, a preschool in Fletcher, where she's taught since 2011 while working her way through college.

"Building those solid relationships and being able to connect with my own teachers are what made me pursue a degree in early childhood education," she said. "I've always wanted to be able to say that I taught a child something — and feel proud of it. I now get to do that on a daily basis thanks to all of you sitting in this room."

<p>More than 60 principals, teachers and support staff retiring from Henderson County Public Schools this year were honored Thursday at a banquet. </p><p>The event was hosted by the School Board and the Henderson County Retired School Personnel at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville. </p><p>Many of the retirees had more than 20 years of service in the county school system. Taken together, the group had a total of 1,242 years of service. </p><p>When Melissa Roberts told her fourth-grade students at Clear Creek Elementary that she was retiring at the end of the school year, "they sobbed," she recalled. She's taught at the school since 2002. </p><p>The most gratifying part of her 39-year teaching career has been watching her students "grow and become a strong people. You can see them learn about the consequences of their behavior — both negative and positive. You can see the magic in their eyes as they learn and master something." </p><p>Roberts is still developing her retirement plans with her husband, Eddie.</p><p>Life Skills teacher David Mackey is retiring after 29 years of teaching, the last 13 at Hendersonville Middle. He teaches culinary skills to sixth- and seventh- graders and teaches manners and etiquette to eighth-graders. </p><p>He said the best part of his job is that he's teaching students "skills they are going to use later in life. And they take those skills home and share them with their family, so we're teaching more than just the kids in our school."</p><p>Mackey also enjoys the fact that "I teach every kid in our school, so I know all of these kids on a personal level."</p><p>When he told his students he was retiring, "They begged me to stay. They'd say, 'Just stay to teach my little sister, or my little brother.' They're my kids if you know what I mean. I love each and every one and I'm blessed to be a teacher."</p><p>In retirement, he plans to work his farm, tending to beef cattle and growing corn. </p><p>"And I look forward to spending more time with my wife," he said with a smile. Mackey is married to Debbie and has a son, Clark.</p><p>Mary West of North Henderson High is retiring after 30 years. She teaches English to sophomores and Advanced Placement literature to seniors. The best parts of her job are helping seniors find the right college and sophomores with their writing. </p><p>"When they pass their writing test, they're so proud of themselves," she said with a smile. </p><p>When she announced her retirement, "the seniors were glad I was graduating with them. They thought it was great that we went out together." </p><p>West plans to "travel and read books of my choice," she said with a laugh. She is married to husband Alden and has three children, Greg, Suzanne and Lesley.</p><p>"My successes in education are because of the opportunity I've had to work with so many wonderful educators," said Sallie Carr, who is retiring in her fourth year as principal of Sugarloaf Elementary. She has a total of 30 years in education, 26 in Henderson County. The best part of her job is "working with teachers to make children lifelong learners. You hope you're making a difference."</p><p>Carr hasn't yet made her formal retirement announcement at the school "because I don't want to cry." She also hasn't made solid plans for what to do with her time after retirement, noting that she has "closets to clean out and lots of yard work to do. And my husband is looking forward to some home-cooked meals." She is married to husband Gene and has three children, Addie, Sarah and Jack.</p><p>Also at the banquet, former student Leslie Runyan spoke about the importance of teachers in her life. She attended Henderson County schools from elementary through high school before going on to Blue Ridge Community College. </p><p>Earlier this year, she was the recipient of a scholarship from Henderson County Retired School Personnel, a gift she said allowed her to graduate from BRCC this May. She currently works as a teacher assistant at Bell School, a preschool in Fletcher, where she's taught since 2011 while working her way through college. </p><p>"Building those solid relationships and being able to connect with my own teachers are what made me pursue a degree in early childhood education," she said. "I've always wanted to be able to say that I taught a child something — and feel proud of it. I now get to do that on a daily basis thanks to all of you sitting in this room."</p>